Nicki Minaj Calls NY Gov. Hochul 'Evil' on X; Hochul Tells Her to Get Offline

Rapper Nicki Minaj called New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, an "evil woman" in a post on X on Wednesday and said she should resign, and Hochul replied hours later at a campaign stop in Albany. Minaj wrote that the Democratic Party should forfeit Hochul's seat because even if she wins she will be of great consequence to them, and added that Hochul will not escape God's wrath and did not denounce evil when she had the chance. Reporters told Hochul about the post while she was campaigning with local elected officials and union leaders at the Polish American Citizens Club. After a few moments of silence, Hochul said Minaj should get outside and offline more and stop going to Trump rallies, which she said was poisoning her mind. Minaj has become a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, joined him at a Michigan midterms rally on Sunday, and has been floated as a possible White House press secretary by communications director Steven Cheung. Minaj also endorsed Hochul's Republican opponent, Bruce Blakeman, ahead of the state's gubernatorial election on Tuesday.

HuffPost, on the left, leads with Hochul's reaction, describing her as stunned and quoting her retort in full. It labels Minaj a "MAGA darling" and adds background on her Trump rally appearance, the press-secretary talk, and her earlier remarks about being an "illegal immigrant" and criticizing Trump's policies. The right-leaning outlets lead with Minaj. The Blaze says she "buries" the governor, features her God's-wrath line, and says Hochul insulted all Trump supporters in the exchange. The Washington Times frames it as an excoriation tied to the election and highlights her endorsement of Blakeman, which the HuffPost excerpt does not mention. Both sides agree on the core facts: the post, the "evil" charge, and Hochul's reply. They differ on who gets the upper hand and what the context is. The left treats it as a politically odd celebrity jab, while the right treats it as a campaign-season attack. The Free Press, an independent outlet, only mentions Minaj as a possible press secretary in a newsletter teaser.